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Presented in partnership with Magic Leap. Grant L.E.A.P. Conference at 9 am on Wednesday, October 10th.
Magic Leap, the revolutionary handheld PC and portable augmented reality company, holds its very first L.E.A.P. this week's conference featuring presentations and demonstrations for industry professionals (follow Gamasutra's ongoing coverage here). Thanks to Magic Leap, we were able to attend the conference today to try some of these demonstrations ourselves.
Meow Wolf is an art and entertainment collective based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which began in 2008. Its team of nearly 200 artists and developers specializes in creating augmented and vivid reality scenarios . The Navigator, exposed to L.E.A.P. was an amazing example of how Magic Leap can be used to enhance these experiences. The demo we had during L.E.A.P. is a project in collaboration with the developer Magnopus.
Set in a science fiction future, The Navigator gives players control of a space-exploration machine, built to amazing life-size in the demonstration area. During the demonstration, we were allowed to try two components of the Navigator experience: an augmented reality astronaut and a game astride a giant spacecraft.
The life-size mech Navigator was difficult to adapt to the frame
Meow Wolf explained that the astronaut component of the demo was to show how Magic Leap could be used to show players cinematic quality, real numbers in an augmented reality context. They proved their meaning during the magnificent demonstration. After putting on the Magic Leap helmet, I was greeted by a realistic astronaut in a bulky but beautifully textured suit. They moved in space, jumped through the air and finally pulled out a balloon with a heart on it to say goodbye.
"Used in a real gaming environment, this technology would make unforgettable NPCs or haunt all enemies."
The astronaut was not an interactive character but it was one of the most realistic and beautiful human forms we've seen in XR. Regardless of the angle at which we saw the astronaut, the details were sharp, reflections at the stitches in the suit itself. Used in a real gaming environment, this technology would make unforgettable NPCs or haunt the enemies. It was easy to get lost immediately as the astronaut moved.
The next step was The Navigator mech experience. Once installed on the mechanic's driver's seat, almost as if you were riding, the Magic Leap helmet calibrates your view. Suddenly, a 3D projection of a star system appears in front of you.
You are an adventurer in a solar system living on a planet that has already had three suns. When one of the suns explodes, the players use the mech to help their people move to a new solar system. The mech we played with was just one of the elements of a gigantic installation that will take place in Denver in the near future. Taking thousands of square feet, if The Navigator is an indication, Denver sci-fi fans will lose their minds at the opening of the show.
In the exhibition you will be asked to collaborate with other players in a two person experience to save your people. Magic Leap will be used as an additional selling option, allowing customers willing to pay a small extra fee to receive an enhanced version of the overall experience.
The Navigator (simulated user experience)
During our limited demo of Mech, the fusion of real artistic assets and augmented reality at the forefront of technology has elevated a simple game into an immersive sci-fi experience. As a person who prefers action games, the scientific levels have never been my cup of tea, but using the basic controls of the cursor on the mech, I have suddenly been completely invested as a player in a simple match game.
Players press the buttons on the mech console to hear a subtle musical signal that lets them know they have selected the right path. With the help of a dial, players then line up their routes with the stars of the system. During our adventure, we saw beautiful maps, discovered a wormhole that exploded into a sudden explosion of psychedelic wonder, and we understood how. The browser will put players head first in the experience.
The possibilities that come to my mind after the experience are incredible, from educational applications to the dream of all the animated to drive their Gundam one day. The Navigator experience itself is a phenomenal combination of art and technology, but coupled with the design work found in the mixed-reality astronaut, this demonstration has shown the possibility of using augmented reality in a scenario of narration. We did not have the chance to interact with the astronaut, but the idea of seeing the character we met today sucked into an airlock or shot in combat is heartbreaking. It was as if a man in a space suit was in the room, and creating such a sense of presence is something difficult for many virtual reality games.
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